


Termination

by Ifrit



Category: Deus Ex (Video Games), Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, バイナリー ドメイン | Binary Domain (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drunk Sex, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, M/M, Oral Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-11
Updated: 2018-07-10
Packaged: 2019-05-20 21:03:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14901947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ifrit/pseuds/Ifrit
Summary: hol·low child/ˈhälō CHīld/Entities that are legally considered robots and are programmed to believe that they are human.  Production of hollow children is banned in all developed nations due to their potential capabilities for espionage and felonies of a similar nature.Tai Yong Medical is the primary international distributor of hollow children through the black market.  David Sarif, knowing he can't compete, puts all of his energy into making a single, fully-optimized hollow child of his own.That hollow child is Adam Jensen.





	1. Letting Go

**Author's Note:**

> NOTE: Knowledge about the game Binary Domain isn't required past knowing what a hollow child is.  
> \------------  
> This is just a little something I had brewing in the back of my mind for months. Hopefully the plot works out as planned, but when does it ever?
> 
> Also, I'm actually looking for a beta. Please comment (is there a way to dm on AO3?) if you're interested and I'll get back to you!!!!
> 
> This plot is based on the game Binary Domain, although people might think it's based off of Detroit: Become Human. It is 100% not, but it does follow the same vein of thinking. In my own words: Binary Domain did what Detroit: Become Human tried to do but earlier and better lmao (can you tell how much I'm into SBFP yet?)
> 
> The MacJensen doesn't start until chapter 2. Whoops. What can I say, I'm just a whore for prologues

**[2028 - Detroit, MI]**

 

"You there! Scrap-head!"

 

Her feet pounded on the pavement, echoing across the walls of the small alleyway.  Condensation from her heaving breaths was forced out into the air and clouded her view.

 

"Stop!"

 

It wasn't true.  It couldn't be true.

 

Strangers in blue, Detroit's "finest", surrounded her.  All possible exits, blocked.  Voices boomed in unison, rooting her feet to the ground.

 

"There's nowhere to run!"

 

She wasn't a threat!  She couldn't fight!  She wouldn't -  _couldn't -_ ever hurt anyone-

 

But the body in that back alley said otherwise.

 

He'd grabbed her.  Told her he'd treat her "right".  Stuck his hand down her...

 

So she lashed out.  Punched a hole right through his head.  He deserved it, right?

 

Right...?

 

She sank to the ground, careening forwards so that her hands and knees hit the pavement.  It wasn't fair.  It wasn't  _fair_!  She could feel the gravel impress on her palms, the freezing midnight winds buffet against her body.

 

She was  _human_.

 

But when the bullets tore through her forehead, exposed circuits arced sparks across broken flesh.

* * *

**[2028 - Detroit, MI.  Three days later.]**

 

"No, I didn't have anything to do with that girl, the, the - hollow child.  You think that if I had the balls to break Geneva Conventions I would let hollow children run around in the street?"

 

"Even with the multiple augs you've created and employed?  How are we supposed to trust-"

 

"Hollow children and augs are entirely different entities - and that's all I'm going to say on the matter.  I didn't think you'd forget about  _this._ "  Sarif rolled up a sleeve to expose his prosthetic arm to the flashing camera lights.

 

Chatter filled the press room, only dying down when Athene motioned a hand for silence.

 

"Let me give you all that sound byte you all came here for.   _Sarif Industries is not involved in the construction of hollow children._ Never have been, never will be - and that's that."

 

David Sarif's gaze swept around the room, offering a silent challenge to the hundreds of reporters buzzing quietly among themselves.

 

"Any questions?"

 

He didn't wait for a response.

 

"Good.  This presser is  _over_.  Go home, people."

 

The disappointment in the room was palpable, but the reporters dutifully filed out of the room in small packs, shuttled out by harried-looking security.

 

Sarif didn't waste any time sticking around and disappeared into the green room as soon as he could. 

 

"I'd say you handled that pretty well, boss," His head of security drawled from the couch behind the door.  He was relaxing bonelessly into the cushions, a copy of the day's Picus Daily Standard issue in one hand and a bottle of sugar-free green tea held loosely in the other.

 

"Adam.  You weren't out there, son, these people are animals.  They really think I could mass-produce hollow children?  Jesus.  I'm flattered, but it's such a fucking pain in the ass to correct at every presser."

 

Adam hadn't been in the green room for the whole press release.  He'd heard the questions the reporters had asked, and he knew exactly why they'd asked them.  "I'm pretty sure you having me on your team isn't helping your case."

 

Sarif just scoffed, grabbing a muffin from the snack table.  He took a huge bite, spraying crumbs everywhere as he chewed as he spoke.  "Are you kidding?  You're one of the things making all this horseshit bearable.  They'll stop bothering me once Megan presents her research tonight.  I can't believe I couldn't go to Washington with her because of this shitstorm."

 

"The other thing making this bearable being Pritchard?"

 

"Of course.  Speaking of!  He said he had something to tell you up in his office.  Sounded like it was serious."

 

"...How long ago was that?"

 

"Maybe an hour before the release.  Relax, Adam.  If it were something urgent he'd call you on your infolink."

 

Adam nodded hesitantly, setting down his newspaper and drink on the table in front of him.  "I'll go give him a visit.  Try to spare the interns when you get back to the office, boss."

 

Sarif let out a bark of a laugh as he took Adam's seat on the couch, holding the muffin over his face as crumbs fell onto his shirt.

 

"Hah! No promises."

* * *

Pritchard was burning a hole in his monitor with the intensity of his detached staring when Adam walks in without knocking.

 

"Who - Jensen!  Why are you-" He cut himself off with an exasperated groan.  "Nevermind!  Just... sit down."  Adam noted how nervous and shockingly not-smug Pritchard looked.

 

"What's got you so worked up?" Adam hesitantly asked, lowering himself slowly into a seat.

 

"Have you checked your emails in the past day or so?"

 

Narrowing his eyes suspiciously and tilting his head to the side out of confusion, Adam responded, "Are you accusing me of not doing my job again, Pritchard?  I thought we'd gotten past that."

 

With an exasperated groan, Pritchard stood from his seat and pushed the chair back with the force of the motion.  "No, Jensen.  Don't be so narcissistic, not  _all_  of my complaints are about you.  Anyways.  You've been contacted by Interpol, haven't you?"

 

"...And how would you happen to know about that?"  Adam's shades retracted, revealing quickly-shifting amber irises working as he tries to understand where Pritchard is going with this.  "Has Sarif been gushing again?  Someone needs to remind him that I'm not actually his son."

 

"Look, I monitor all emails that filter through into company desktops.  Of course I fucking know about it.  Jensen," he paused, taking a deep breath, "They won't coddle you.  Once you step into their doors, you're basically a roomba to them - good for nothing but errands.  They'll never use you to your full potential."  There was something...  _wrong_  about the degree to which Pritchard was trying to dissuade him from joining TF29.  Aside from the fact that they were ambivalent towards each other at best, the tech exhibited a kind of tension that Adam had only ever seen him sport while dealing with a serious data breach.

 

Adam rolls his eyes, forgetting to stifle the expression with his shades retracted.  "Since when have I accepted the offer?"  He'd skimmed the offer once, not paying too much attention to it - Prague seemed like a miserable place, especially for someone like him.

 

"The issue is that the offer is there, Jensen.  It exists.  That's enough to make me worry."  Now there Adam found a kernel of truth, from the patterns his CASIE mod was displaying.  "As much of a shithole Prague is for you or for me, Interpol is an attractive offer, isn't it?  Just admit it."

 

Interpol, sure.  Adam had just enough of specialized government agencies trying to control him, ignoring his own free will in the name of "progress", after his abysmal time in SWAT.  "Whatever you say, Francis."

 

After a few moments of silence and Pritchard unabashedly staring at him from behind his desk, Adam sighed and pushed away from his seat.  "I have to go, Pritchard.  Megan's summit is about to start."

 

After spluttering uselessly for a few seconds, Pritchard practically bites his tongue and sits right back down, pulling himself in towards his desk.  "If you want to leave, then leave, Jensen.  No skin off my back."  Pritchard's tell was painfully obvious, evident in the way he rubbed his arm and shifted his gaze sporadically to his right.  Not wanting to waste time, Adam nodded and went right out the door, not giving the meeting any more thought than he believed it warranted.

 

Pritchard always was an odd case, after all.

* * *

The TV flickered to life noiselessly in Adam's office.

 

Eliza Cassan's voice could absolutely be described as droning, only accented by her light mannerisms and garish clothing.  Not that Adam ever minded.  The news wasn't meant to provide entertainment, anyways.

 

"In Washington tonight, Dr. Megan Reed, a researcher in Sarif Industry's employ, presents novel research regarding circumventing the need for neuropozyne to prevent the rejection of augmentations.  Though a large crowd of protesters have gathered outside the White House to display their opposition towards androids and augmented humans alike, the talk has been on track to be presented as scheduled.  A live feed of the talk will be presented after this break."

 

As the jingle signaling the commercial break played, Adam grimaced at the fading sight of all those protesters waving signs, hissing under his breath when he saw that one of them looked like they were getting too close to Megan despite her large entourage of bodyguards.

 

He should have been there with her, but his number one priority had always been Sarif, especially after he'd saved his life.  The attack down in the labs a year ago had put him right out of commission, landing him in a month-long coma and leaving him with four shiny new carbon-fiber limbs.

 

Not that he felt bitter.  Towards the man who'd spent billions of dollars on his recovery?  Never.

 

The swell of music that marked the end of the commercial break brought Adam back to the present, and he shifted in his seat to sit up straight as if a better posture would help him hear Megan more clearly.  Forget the subtitles at the bottom of the screen, he wanted eyes on Megan for the whole thing.

 

The woman of the hour looked calm and composed as ever, as if she presented world-changing findings to the president, congress, and senate every week.  With poise and a blindingly pure-white outfit, she stepped up to her podium, took a few moments to straighten her papers, clearing her throat before uttering her first few words.

 

"Ladies and gentlemen, I just want to preface this by saying that no one had ever thought that this result could have been achieved without significant artificial gene manipulation - but today, I come before you with results gathered from naturally-occurring DNA."

 

Most of the rest of her introduction was scientific lingo that flew right over Adam's head, but he tried his level best to keep listening and watching her surroundings for danger.

 

"...Our subject, subject X, as we've called them, was discovered to not reject technological implants after reconstructive surgery.  With this understanding..."

 

Wait.

 

_Hold on._

 

This spiel sounded awfully familiar.  It sounded like... him.  When had he ever needed to take a dose of neuropozyne, ever?  Had he ever had problems with his augs?  Had he...

 

No, Megan wouldn't betray him like that.  There were sanctions, ethics guidelines she had to follow in order to even get the findings past review-

 

Sarif.  Sarif would know.  Caught in a haze, Adam stumbled to the elevator and almost punched the console when it took longer than usual to get to his floor.

 

Storming into Sarif's office, he pushed a few head researchers out of the way so he could reach over and  _yank_  Sarif over to him, bringing them face to face.  He couldn't be bothered to care about the multiple bodyguards surrounding them with their guns drawn, shouting drowned out by the thoughts rushing through his head like whitewater.

 

" _What did Megan just say._ "

 

Sarif was noticeably shaken, though not making as much of a fuss as his protection.  "Calm down, son!  At least take this outside, there's no need to make a scene."

 

Grimacing so hard he thought his teeth would break, Adam turned and dragged Sarif behind him out the door.  It was as if he didn't even realize people were there other than the two of them, vision dripping red with anger.

 

Pushing Sarif against the wall, he stood stock-still, suddenly stoic and emotionless.  "You know everything that goes on in this company.  You have the final say on all research,  _especially_  research as important as Megan's."

 

Sarif was silent, as if goading Adam into continuing.  "You knew.  You  _knew_ she was using my DNA and you approved it without telling me."

 

"Well, what am I supposed to say, Adam?  If you already know, then you know.  I didn't think you'd react like this.  Honest!"  Sarif at least looked a little contrite, hands raised in the air as if he were afraid he was about to be shot.

 

"You can't just steal my DNA.  I work for you, but I'm not your property."  It looked like Sarif was about to say something to the contrary, but he stopped himself before actually forming any words.

 

"Scratch that.  I don't work for you anymore.  No two weeks notice, Sarif - I have a position at TF29 waiting for me.  But you already knew that,  _right_?"

 

"Adam, wait-"  Sarif tried stopping him, but Adam was already in the elevator by the time he pushed himself away from the wall.  "Adam, I saved your life!  You can't just walk out like this!"

 

Adam hit the button for the ground floor with certainty, looking up to meet Sarif's eyes.  "I never asked you to, and it doesn't give you the right to treat me like a lab rat.  I'm going to Prague, Sarif.  Reach me if you need me, but I won't be coming back."  The doors closed between him and his former boss as if to punctuate the finality of his withdrawal.

 

Closing his eyes, he tilted his head back against the glass and let out a heavy sigh.  There was nothing he couldn't leave Detroit without - Sarif's measures of convenience had backfired and left Adam in the nice position of having no strings truly attached to the city.

 

Booking a flight was easy, completed in a matter of seconds.

 

Cancelling his credit cards and vacating his apartment was a simple matter of calling Ter Horst with a terse notice of leave (Sarif had paid for the place, anyways).

 

His passport was in his office.  His coat was on his chair.

 

He didn't bother saying goodbye to Malik or Pritchard, wondering if they'd been complicit with Sarif, too.

 

In an hour, he was on the plane to Prague, speeding across international waters to land in a dizzyingly quick turn of events at the doorstep of Praha Dovoz, TF29's front for its base of operations.

 

When he'd actually reached the basement level of headquarters, he was greeted by two men who he assumed to be Jim Miller, his new CO, and senior officer Duncan Macready.  Miller seemed friendly over email - Macready came across as anything but.

 

"Welcome to your new home,  _Agent_  Jensen,"  Miller greeted him warmly.  Macready was silent, sizing him up as if Adam were liable to attack.

 

"Glad to be here, Director."

 

He just hoped he wouldn't regret this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I fought myself SO HARD not to include "trust no one, not even yourself" in the summary of this fic.


	2. Shots Fired

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Macready's out to get Jensen. Too bad for him that Jensen's ready to give as good as he gets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's some holes in the story, filled in by the actual game. I hope it isn't too confusing!
> 
> Also: still looking for a beta!!

**[2028 - Detroit, MI.  Day of termination.]**

 

_"So he left?  Just like that?"_

_"Pritchard, I don't know what you want me to say.  I've said it a dozen times.  He's gone."_

_"You should have tried harder to make him stay!  If people find out that he's-"_

_"You think I don't know that?  It's my ass on the line here, not yours!"_

_"Lower your voice, Sarif.  I tried talking him out of moving to Interpol.  It didn't seem like he wanted to join - what in the world happened in the hour after I met with him?"_

_"The summit.  He found out."_

_"...Fuck.  Well, that's one disaster we could have seen coming."_

_"Don't act fresh, I don't fucking need that right now.  I thought he'd just be upset for a few weeks, not just walk out on us!"_

_"Of course you didn't.  Not to make your bad mood any worse, but Adam's already landed in Prague."_

_"We're not completely SOL.  The fail-safes are in place, right?"_

_"I have them all here in front of me."_

_"Then we just have to wait.  Athene, get the Prague contact on the phone!"_

* * *

**[2028 - Čistá Čtvrť, Praha.  One week after termination.]**

 

It was the little things.

 

The poorly drawn "Aug is here" graffiti on the wall above his desk.

 

The looks people gave him when he walked down the hall.

 

The looks people gave Aria when they walked past the shooting range.

 

Detroit, he knew, was a safe haven for people like him compared to Prague.

 

But it was alright.  It wasn't as if he'd learned to band together with Aria, either - she and him had a quiet sort of understanding, a 'stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours' kind of deal.  No need to draw even more unnecessary attention by flocking together.

 

The doctor that had given him his eval on his first day was far too gentle with his limbs and their attachments to his flesh-and-blood torso.  As if he'd rip apart at the slightest provocation.

 

And Macready - god, Macready.  What a fucking pain in the ass.

 

"Are you listening, hanzer?"

 

Oh, right.  Adam came back to the present, having zoned out from Macready's droning voice.  Enough vitriol dripped from every one of the Englishman's words to create a long, monotone string of droning white noise.  "You're still calling me that?"

 

Macready ignored the retort and slammed a fist on his desk.  "I'm trying to put you in your place.  You're lucky Miller even lets you see the light of day - but with me?  You'd better learn to fall in line if you want to stay here."

 

Adam was regretting the reassignment already.

 

"...Sure."  And that was that.  No need to continue fighting with the man - he'd just zone out again, mission plans and blueprints all already stored in the back of his mind, and quite literally, at that.

 

Regardless of how annoying he was, however, Macready wasn't stupid.  It didn't escape him that Adam had once again stopped paying attention.  "Alright, I'm fucking done with you.  You think you can do everything on your own because of your little augmentations - get off your fucking high horse.  I'm going to enjoy seeing you stumble ass-over-teakettle trying to navigate Dubai without listening to me.  You're here to do what I tell you to do, regardless of whether you like me or not!"

 

Adam just nodded, by now unfazed by Macready's blatant displays of distaste towards him.  "For you and every other idiot with a medal I've worked for."

 

"Excuse me?"

 

"Nothing.  Are we done here?"  Though he hadn't been listening, anything vital he'd need to know would inevitably be enunciated by Miller, who delivered intel with more tact than Macready, anyways.  Without waiting for an answer, Adam rose from his seat and slowly made for the door.  A hand suddenly stopped him, bearing down on the wall next to the sliding door with excessive but unmistakably human force.

 

"You don't leave until I say you can."  Macready's breath was hot on Adam's neck, sending a shiver down the cyborg's spine.

 

"Oh yeah?  And what, you'll put me in time-out if I leave anyway?"  Adam's other hand shot out to push Macready's arm out of the way.

 

"What a comedian.  Hope you can speak Czech and make a living that way after I throw you the hell out of here."

 

"That's not your call."

 

"And how do you know that?"

 

"I can tell when you're bluffing.  Comes with the Augs."  He couldn't really, but whatever Macready said next would prove him right or wrong.

 

Macready let out a frustrated growl and stepped back.  Looks like he was right.  "That's fucking cheating," he muttered, crossing his arms as he waited for Adam to leave.

 

"Either way, means I win.  Are we done here?  Miller needs me in his office." 

 

The senior officer said nothing, simply watching Adam like a hawk as he walked out the door without waiting for an answer.  

* * *

**[2028 - Dubai.  One week and three days after termination.]**

 

Everything up to this point had been smooth sailing, but nothing could have prepared him for the shitstorm that befell them at the site of the weapons tradeoff.  If getting to the atrium was half the battle, keeping Singh from getting killed and stopping the chopper from leaving was a suicide mission. 

 

Despite the sandstorm blowing in, the assassins in gold masks were augmented and could no doubt see exactly where he was.

 

"Macready, I need help down here!"

 

"We're under heavy fire, you have to go it alone!"

 

"They can see me, asshole!  If I want to get Singh out of here alive-"

 

"Stop whinging and just do it!"

 

There was no time to argue.  He really should have gone to Miller first, but since Macready was his direct CO...

 

A bullet whizzed by his ear, giving him a wakeup call that he wasn't sure he appreciated in the moment.  Gritting his teeth, he ran across the atrium and tried to keep to cover as best as he could, which was a fairly impressive feat, seeing as to how the wind was blowing hard enough to actually move storage crates across the floor.

 

When he reached Singh, he pulled the UO to him behind more sturdy cover, not bothering to spare him a word of acknowledgement before sprinting to the helicopter and prying out the power source with his hands alone.

 

He tossed the juicebox to the ground, and when he turned to leave the area, he saw two things.

 

One: Macready's gun trained on him.

 

Two: an assassin, coming straight at him from behind the chopper with his pistol raised at eye-level.

 

Before he had the chance to react, he saw a splash of red mist over him and felt a bullet ping off his carbon-fiber shoulder with a force that would have lodged it into his body had the point of contact been flesh and blood.  The assassin fell to the ground and Adam whipped his head up, watching Macready hoist his gun up onto his shoulder as he presumably stared down at him through his mask.

 

No time to dwell on attempted murder, he supposed, feeling grains of sand whip across his face as the storm grew exponentially more violent.  Shielding his face with both arms, he ran back over to where he'd left Singh, who was looking slightly shell-shocked as he was grabbed and carried back to the elevator to rendezvous with the strike teams.

 

On the upper floors, Adam gently let Singh go, making sure he wasn't quite as rattled as he'd been a minute ago before turning to eye Macready with a furrowed brow.

 

One eye on his CO and the other on the corpse next to the grounded chopper, Adam couldn't help but think that getting out of there alive hadn't been according to plan.

* * *

**[2028 - Čistá Čtvrť, Praha.  Two weeks after termination.  One week after Dubai.]**

 

It was one thing to work with a CO that hated you.  It was another thing entirely to work for one that was out to get you killed.

 

"I don't think it was coincidence I was out there on the ground, Alex.  Macready must have somehow convinced Miller to let me get over to Singh on my own so I could get shot."

 

"Why would he do that?  He knows how valuable you are to the cause."  Alex had her arms crossed, clearly itching to get out of the dingy little cellar they were in for their covert meeting of the week.  Janus had something for them regarding the Ruzicka Station bombing, and Adam so rarely delved into small talk.  Well, small for them.

 

"He just doesn't like me.  I don't know why, but it's probably something to do with my augs."

 

"Better watch your back then, huh."  Activating her cloaking shield, Alex gave Adam one last pitying look before flitting up the stairs and out of the cellar, leaving Adam to stew in his racing thoughts.

 

If he wanted a sympathetic ear, he'd have to look elsewhere.

* * *

 "Aria, how's Macready been treating you?"

 

"Who, Mac?"  They were on a nickname basis, which told him all he needed to know - but it'd be rude to walk away from a conversation he'd started.  "We get drinks sometimes after he lets off steam here at the shooting range.  Why're you asking?"  She looked at him in that sweetly genuine way, making him feel oddly guilty about this line of conversation.

 

"No reason.  I know he doesn't like augs-"

 

"Actually, it's not really a problem anymore.  At this point he might be a little too accommodating, but I prefer his coddling to straight-out bullying."  

 

Adam gave her a strained smile.  "Must be a personal problem, then.  Thanks for the info, Aria, but I gotta go.  See you later."

 

He didn't even wait for her response before turning on his heel, trenchcoat swinging behind him in his wake.

 

So it wasn't the aug thing.  And 'Mac'?  Were he and Aria really that close?  What was it about him got Macready seeing red?

 

If there was anything Adam had learned working at the same company as Francis Wendell Pritchard, it was never to let a grievance simmer.  Maybe ill-advisedly, he went to the source of the stress himself, breezing through counterterrorism and smiling awkwardly at Singh on his way in.  One day he'd talk to the guy and let him properly thank him for Dubai.  He just wasn't ready for the discomfort of being effusively thanked for doing the bare minimum.

 

"Macready.  We need to talk."

 

"Oh, that doesn't sound so good.  What is it, hanzer?  Joints need oiling?"  The agent was typing dutifully away at his computer, not even glancing at Adam as he entered his office.

 

"Shut up for one second and listen.  Did you try to shoot me in Dubai?"

 

Macready sat back in his chair at that, hands stilling over his keyboard.  His gaze, however, remained glued to the monitor.

 

"Now why would you go and say something like that?"  The tone was blase and his expression blank.  But there was a minuscule tensing in Macready's shoulders that gave him up.

 

"It makes no sense.  Why not provide me with backup on the ground floor?  You were trying to get me shot, and I obviously don't appreciate working for someone who'd rather see me dead."

 

"We had the higher ground.  It was more effective to provide cover from above than to-"

 

"Almost everyone down there apart from me and Singh died down in the atrium.  And not just that, you shot at me!"

 

"No, I shot the ARC terrorist that was trying to shoot you!"

 

"The bullet went clean through the neck, Macready.  It hit me in the shoulder!  ...Wait, you think it was ARC in the gold masks?"

 

"That's - oh, god," Macready lamented, slapping a palm to his forehead.  "I hadn't planned to tell you as much.  As of now, it's just something between me and Miller - and given your... position, you were to be the last to know.  And I did not try to shoot you.  If you keep hurling baseless accusations at me, I'll have you suspended."

 

It was honestly a miracle - and highly suspicious - that he wasn't already being suspended.

 

 "...Alright.  I'm sorry.  I'll let it go."

 

"Bold of you to bring it up in the first place.  Now get back to work, Jensen."  Interesting lack of 'hanzer'.  "I want that incident report in my inbox by the end of the week."

 

"Yes, sir," Adam muttered, already resolute in his purpose as he walked out to go and talk to Miller.

 

Before he could travel the short distance to the director's office, Adam's head was set to ringing as his infolink was pinged.  "Alex?  What's up?"

 

"Adam.  You're gonna want to read what I'm sending you.  This doesn't look good - I think you were onto something."

 

"What are you talking about?"

 

"Just read the email.  Call me back after - or don't.  I just thought you should know about this."

 

This whole thing was getting unsettling, and the timing was uncanny - but Adam hung up to obey, reading through the email with a growing sense of dread.

* * *

Subject: RE: **Ill-Gotten Gains**

From: Director Jim Miller

To: Duncan Macready

 

Mac,

 

Enough with this.  I know he doesn't follow up on Jen's prescriptions, and obviously I know where we recruited him from.  But that's no reason to accuse him of being a hollow child.  Think about what you're saying here.

 

I need you to be professional about this.  He's a good agent, and frankly, you constantly badgering him only stops him from doing his job and you from doing yours.

 

Jim

 

REFERENCED EMAIL:

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Duncan Macready

To: Director Jim Miller

Subject: Ill-Gotten Gains

 

He's a hollow child, Jim.  Think about it.  What kind of aug can survive for this long without taking a single dose of nupoz?  And him being Sarif's pet project?  There's no way he isn't hiding something.  We can't have him here, and I don't want him on my team.

Mac

* * *

A lot of thoughts were spinning through his head after he read whatever that was, thoughts that he attempted to articulate when he called Alex back.

 

With little preamble, Alex spoke right as she picked up.  "What do you think?"

 

"I... I think..."  He paused, leaning heavily against the window of Miller's office.  "Why would he..? Shit, Alex.  I'm honestly just surprised he hasn't shot me point-blank in his office yet."

 

"I don't blame you.  I know you don't bring up empty concerns, Adam, so I hacked into his email for you.  You really think you should stay there?"

 

"I don't exactly have anywhere else to go.  Besides, it looks like Miller at least has my back for now, and Macready won't try anything after setting Miller on alert."

 

"Yeah, I guess it'd be kinda embarrassing to quit after two weeks of working, huh?"

 

"...Yeah.  Besides, I don't think I'd adjust well to working out of a cubicle."

 

Alex let out a guffaw, blowing out the connection for a brief second.  "Hey, couldn't be too different from working for Sarif!  Anyways," she said, calming down, "Take care of yourself, okay?  And don't talk to anyone about the emails.  TF29's already on our ass as it is."

 

"I figured.  Don't worry, Alex, I won't.  But Chang's gonna be freaking out about the breach for a while."

 

"Don't worry about it, man.  I took every precaution to cover my tracks.  As paranoid as Chang is, he's no Nucl3arsnake."

 

Adam let that statement process for a second before swallowing down a burst of hysterical laughter.  "No, he's not.  I'll see you around, Alex."

 

"Holler if you need me.  Vega out."


	3. One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It gets better. Then it gets worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When will I update next? Tomorrow? In a year? Who the fuck knows?!

**[2028 - Detroit, MI.  Three weeks after termination.]**

 

_"Megan's getting anxious, Frank.  She wants to know where Adam is."_

 

_"You can't just tell her?"_

 

_"How do you think she'd react if she finds out he left because of her summit?  It'd be years before she goes out there again."_

 

_"That's a quite juvenile view of things, but yes, I can't imagine she'd react too well.  But don't you think telling her now would be better than letting the wound fester?"_

 

 _"I don't want to send her on a spiral.  She doesn't_ know _about Adam's-"_

 

_"This isn't a secure channel, Sarif.  Switch if you want to stick to the subject."_

 

_"Right, right, I almost forgot.  You know what I'm trying to say."_

 

_"I do.  That's something you'd probably want to leave alone - we're getting dangerously close to playing god."_

 

_"Oh, no, Frank.  That was a line we crossed a long time ago."_

* * *

**[2028 -**   **Čistá Čtvrť, Praha.  Three weeks after termination.  One day after the Ruzicka train station attack.]**

 

Adam had nothing but respect for Miller, but anyone's patience would be tested by being made to wait for almost an hour in his office.  The space was massive, made no smaller by the clutter, and he was frankly pissed that Miller couldn't have called him from his desk a few yards away instead of having him sit there twiddling his thumbs as his head was still ringing.

 

He expected the director to come in through the front door.  Surprisingly, he popped in from the NSN server room.

 

"Sorry to keep you waiting.  Manderley wouldn't let me go, kept talking about the red tape around Dubai.  As if he hadn't saddled me with enough paperwork."  He paused to look Adam over.  “How’re you feeling?  Did someone check you out?”

 

"I’m fine.  I saw my guy for a check-up.  So… why am I here? I assume it’s something important if you called me in before you were done talking with him."

 

“Aside from the bombing, there’s something that’s come to my attention.  I hate to spring it on you in your state, but this is too serious to let sit.”  Miller took in a deep breath, head tilted slightly back as he let it back out in a massive sigh.  "It's about Macready.  He told me you'd burst into his office, accusing him of trying to murder you."

 

Yeah, that tracked.  Adam let his shades retract, sitting a bit straighter in his chair as he waited for Jim to round his desk and take a seat behind it.  "I know it's not the kind of accusation to make lightly.  But I also know he's gotten over his aug prejudice... mostly.  Aria told me they go out for drinks."

 

Miller let an amused smile slip through, though his brow was no less furrowed with concern.  "Glad to see they're getting along.  I had to scold him like a child to stop harassing her every time she requested a reassignment the first few months we had her on."

 

“That doesn’t surprise me.”

 

“I didn’t think it would.  So, what, you’re trying to tell me that Macready’s grudge against you is personal?”

 

How was he supposed to defend himself without mentioning the emails?  “…Yeah.  He’s either trying to kill me or scare me into leaving, and I don’t think I have to say that I can’t work like this to get the point across.”

 

“You ever hear of exposure therapy, Jensen?”

 

“I can’t see how that’s relevant.”

 

“It is since you still haven’t visited Delara.  Back on track – regardless of how well Duncan and Aria are getting along, it doesn’t mean he’s been, let’s say, _cured_ of his prejudice.  So, I’m putting you two on the same assignment.”

 

Adam stared back at Miller in horror, regretting the decision to take off his shades.  “What?!  After he – you can’t be serious.”

 

“I don’t mean to come off as unfeeling, but you might be misreading his actions.  By all means, if he tries to kill you again, tell me, but I have a feeling that you can handle yourself up to that point.”

 

“Are you hearing yourself?  Besides, he won’t let me _do_ anything.”

 

“Don’t worry.  As much of a bigot Mac can be, he knows how to utilize his resources.  Trust me on this one.  I’ll handle Dubai, and you two go help out Smiley at Ruzicka station.”

 

Oh, right.  Adam had almost forgotten he’d been caught in the middle of all that – funny how dealing with Macready was more stressful than a literal terrorist attack.

 

“So you’re saddling me with Macready _and_ taking me off of the Dubai case?  I know you two think it’s ARC.”  He might as well throw Macready under the bus if he was going to air out their dirty laundry to Miller.  “That’s impossible.  Those augmentations were military-grade.”

 

“What?  Mac told you already?  That information was strictly on a need-to-know basis.”  Miller rubbed at his temples, leaning back in his seat.  “Regardless, I still want you two at Ruzicka station.  They’re stonewalling Smiley down there.  Bring Mac with you – that’s an order, you understand?”

 

Adam’s throat was closed around a half-baked protest, but he knew when to give up.  “You’re the boss,” he rasped, flipping his shades back down as he made his way out of the office.

* * *

“So.”

 

“…So.”

 

They were sitting across from each other in the subway car, arms crossed over their chests and staring each other down from the few-feet gap that separated them.

 

No one else was there, thanks to Chang hacking the rail for them.  Unfortunately for Adam, they couldn’t have just stewed in complete silence on the way there.  They needed a plan, and they needed it quick.

 

“What’re the odds that they’ll just let us in on Interpol authority?”  Adam grimaced.  He was trying to sound like he’d forgotten all about their altercation, and Macready sounded as if he were up to playing along. 

 

“Close to none.  We have to get in there, figure out what Smiley needs, and get him out.”

 

“Sounds simple enough.”

 

“Think you can go up and crawl through the vents like the rat you are?”  Harsh.

 

“ _You’re_ calling _me_ a rat?”

 

All Adam got in response was a sneer and cold shoulder.  Conversation effectively over, he deigned to just stare out the window blankly for the rest of the trip.  Too bad they were underground, where the only scenery was a black expanse of tunnel.

 

_[Welcome to Ruzicka Station.  This is the last stop on this line.  Please exit through the doors on the left.]_

Macready spoke again, most likely out of necessity.  “You do all the talking.  You’re the one with the freaky mind-reading augs.”

 

“I’m not a telepath, Macready.  You’re just too easy to read.”  He was right, though – his CASIE mod could give them more than a zero percent chance of talking their way in.

 

But first: Smiley.

 

“Hey guys - oh, crap, Miller sent both of you?  That’s nice and all, but I really only needed Jensen’s help.”  The hyperactive tech was practically bouncing when they made their way up to him, his nervous energy no less present as he shot Macready an uncertain look.

 

“We’re here to do whatever Miller says we’re here to do, so shut up and let us do our jobs.”

 

“Right, right, right.  Sorry, I really didn’t mean anything by that.”  Fletcher’s gaze shifted nervously.  “They’re not letting me in, obviously.  Don’t even bother talking to them, it’ll just give them more reason to be on high alert.”

 

Adam nodded subtly, tilting his head to check out the possible routes that he could take to bypass the local force.  “I could do with a distraction.”

 

Macready scowled.  “I know you meant ‘bullet sponge’, hanzer.  Just go up there already, the vents must be calling you.”

 

Smiley looked at the two of them with upbeat confusion, a smile frozen below his puzzled gaze.  “Are you guys leaving me here?”

 

Adam was already gone, having left without either of them noticing.  Macready sighed.  “Go back to HQ, Smiley.  You can count on us to handle it.”

 

“Alright, well, don’t forget the DSD!”

 

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Mac said, rolling his eyes as he pushed Fletcher into the subway car.  Once that was taken care of, he searched aimlessly along the protruding metal vents, trying to figure out where Adam was.

 

“You certainly know how to make a quick escape.  Have a bit of experience evading the law?”

 

“Yeah.  It’s called quitting SWAT.”  Adam wasn’t really watching his mouth, too busy hacking into a security console.  “Do you have something useful for me, or did you just call to make my life harder?”

 

“I let you loose, but you’re not to get lost.  Where are you right now?”

 

“I’m almost at the main terminal.  The wreckage… I have no idea how someone would bring in a bomb large enough to do this kind of damage without being caught at a checkpoint.”

 

“Yeah, well, who knows what ARC ‘activists’ are hiding in their dirty little coats.  Sarif never stuck a pipe bomb somewhere the sun doesn’t shine?”

 

“No.”  Adam went silent for a few moments as he knocked out a string of guards on his way around the perimeter.  “I’m made of carbon-fiber, not scrap metal.”

 

“Prick.  Stuck up, much?  Oy - don’t take the main passage, go up the elevator shaft.”  While they traded barbs, Macready had brought up the station blueprints on his phone.  As odd as he felt just sitting primly at one of the benches, surrounded by rubble, it was the extent of what he could do without exposing them both.

 

“Good call.  There’s more than a dozen guys left here.”  There was a beat of silence, presumably because Adam was shuffling through the vents.  Macready let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding once he patched back in.  “I know what I’m worth.  Just like you, Mr. ‘Three Ex-Wives’.”  Despite the broken mirrors back at his Detroit apartment.

 

“So you _can_ pay attention when you’re spoken to.  Status update?”

 

“All I have to do is drop in and get the DSD.  I could take the guards in the immediate area out-“

 

“No, best to play it safe.  In and out like a shadow as you always do.”

 

“Copy that.  I have the DSD.  Going dark for extraction.”

 

“Affirmative.”  The ten minutes it took Adam to backtrack to where he was felt like eternity for Macready, who had nothing to do but sit with his hands under his ass as he waited.

 

“I’m back.”

 

Macready yelped (though he’d deny it ever happening with his last breath), having been turned towards the stairs when Adam silently landed less than a foot behind him out of nowhere.  “Jensen!  You clearly just did that to be a dick.”

 

“Maybe I did.”  The upwards quirk of Adam’s lips was so subtle that Macready would have missed it, had he been standing even an inch further away.  “Come on.  If we keep Smiley waiting, he might bring HQ down with his and Chang’s nervous energy combined.”

 

Macready just nodded, conflicting emotions warring for dominance.

 

He settled for amusement.  Complicated emotions made for complicated thoughts, after all – and Jensen was enough of a headache on his own.

* * *

 **[2028 -**   **Čistá Čtvrť, Praha.  The next day – three weeks after termination.]**

 

“…Mac!”

 

“Wh-yes?”

 

“I asked you how you and Jensen got along.”

 

“Sorry.”  He’d spaced out uncharacteristically, eye trained on Adam’s lithe silhouette through the two layers of glass separating the director’s office from counterterrorism.  “I guess it went alright.  Bastard tried to get the jump on me, though.  Dropped down from the ceiling just to scare me after he’d grabbed the evidence.”

 

Miller nodded sagely, a pleased smile working its way across his face.  “I knew working together would do the two of you some good.”

 

“Yeah, well, all I did was jack shit while Jensen snuck around.  It’s hardly better than doing paperwork.”

 

“You don’t mean that.”

 

“…You’re right, I don’t.  Speaking of paperwork, Jensen still hasn’t sent me his-“

 

Their conversation was interrupted by Chang banging on the glass.  “Miller!”  He shouted urgently, frantically enough that they both saw a reason to worry.

 

Once Chang had been let in, Miller took a seat on the edge of his desk and went silent to let the man speak.

 

“There was a breach.  There’s a-there’s a-“

 

“A _what_ , man?  Spit it the hell out already!”  Macready had no patience for being rudely interrupted.

 

“A _hollow child._ Here!  In these offices!”  Miller gave Chang an incredulous look, though Macready continued on without missing a beat.

 

“So I was right then.  It’s-“  Miller stopped him with a hand on his mouth before he could finish articulating that accusation.

 

“What?  Do you know who it is?”

 

“Don’t be ridiculous, Chang.  This is the first time either of us has heard of this.”  Miller shot Macready a warning look, who only scowled back in response.

 

“Okay, so what are you gonna do about it?  Who knows what the robot could be doing _right now_?  Hacking us from the inside, getting into our databanks, stealing information to take back to Tai Yong Medical…”

 

“I’m going to stop you right there before you worry yourself into an endless circle.  How did you even know?”

 

“This kind of breach was tied to anomalous software or hacking techniques.  You see, the way mass-produced hollow children interact with the program I patented-“

 

Macready held up a hand, shaking his head.  “You can tell us all about your doctorate thesis when we have the time.  Is there any way to tell who it is for sure?”

 

“Not with my tech-“ Miller interjected at this point, putting a hand on Chang’s shoulder.  “Delara specialized in this, once upon a time.  I’ll re-schedule evals and give her the heads-up so she knows what to look out for. Don’t tell anyone else about this in case they have a way to fly under the radar.”

 

“You really think that’ll work?”  Chang’s eyebrows flew up to his hairline, and Macready had to admit he felt the same skepticism.

 

“Manderley took on Auzenne for a reason.  Let her handle this and relax for once.”

 

Chang just nodded slowly, though the two could tell he wasn’t completely satisfied with Miller’s solution.  When he was gone, Macready flew into a frenzy.

 

“It’s him!  I know it is, he’s doing recon for Sarif.  Why didn’t you let me tell Chang?!”

 

“Because Jensen _isn’t_ a hollow child!  I don’t want to have to repeat myself!”  Miller shot right back, banging a fist on the desk.

 

Macready went suddenly and eerily calm.  “Alright.  Fine.  We’ll find out when the evaluations are done.  But when it turns out to be him, I’ll be the first to shoot him right between the eyes.”

 

“You’ll do no such thing.  Mac?  Mac!”  Macready was already out the door, storming back to his office.  He wouldn’t approach Adam just yet, biding his time until he was proven right.

 

Adam was making small talk with Singh, who was clearly enamored with the aug – no, hollow child.  Let the thing have his fun while it lasted - for now, he’d play nice like Miller wanted him to.

 

But when the time came, Jensen would never see it coming.


	4. Plenty of Whiskey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unsurprisingly, booze solves everything. As it always does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RATING CHANGE!!! Told y'all it'd happen. Also, if things seem disjointed, it's because i don't know how to write okay byeeee

**[2028 -**   **Čistá Čtvrť, Praha.  Approaching one month after termination.]**

_Wednesday_ :

 

“Toilets need cleaning, hanzer.  Nice of you to give the cleaning staff a break, hm?”

 

None of the janitors were on duty that day.  When Adam asked, all Miller did was wave him off so he could check his emails in peace.

 

 _Thursday_ :

 

“There’s no one on the fifth floor.  No need to take the scenic route, yeah?  Go right in through the front doors.”

 

Surprise!  Four men were waiting for him, two of whom were guarding the elevator doors.  He handled it – obviously – but not without earning a nasty bruise on his face at the end of the altercation.

 

 _Friday_ :

 

“Oh, yeah, you’ll be trapped in there since the alarm tripped, but the fans should all be disconnected.  You can shimmy your way out of there, can’t you?”

 

The fans were still – until some mysterious force cranked them on to higher than normal speed with his legs still in the vent behind him.  If they weren’t made of metal, he wouldn’t have made it back to his apartment that night.

 

Adam was starting to get the feeling that maybe his and Macready’s trip to Ruzicka Station hadn’t gone nearly as well as he’d thought it had.

* * *

 **[2028 -**   **Čistá Čtvrť, Praha.  One month after termination.]**

One week of Macready gunning for him again and Adam was, understandably, anxious as all hell.

Something big was creeping up on him, something that Macready had planned.  But obviously, he had no idea what was in store.  Wasn’t it enough that he was stressed to hell about walking around in broad daylight?

 

He had to interrupt his own line of thinking – his appointment with Dr. Auzenne was scheduled for 0900, and it was already 0915.  Surprising that someone hadn’t come in and grabbed him by the ear to make his appointment.

 

Better late than never.  9:18 AM, the clock Delara had on her desk read when he finally decided to show up.

 

“Agent Jensen!  I was starting to think you weren’t going to show.”

 

“Wouldn’t dream of it, doctor.”

 

With a wry smile, Auzenne tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and began flipping through his file – funny how traditions like paper documents never seemed to fully go out of style.

“Miller’s told me a lot about you.  About you and… Macready.”  There was no mistaking the little glint in her eye that accompanied her words.

 

“I thought this eval was supposed to be about me.”  Deflect.  Deflect!

 

“I assure you, everything I bring up in this hour is relevant.”  Fuck, an entire _hour_ of this?  He should have pretended to forget about his initial psych eval after all.  “Your profile isn’t consistent with someone suffering from schizophrenia.  So tell me, why do you think agent Macready is trying to kill you?”

 

“I saw his gun pointed right at me in Dubai.”

 

“How could you have been sure?  Weren’t all of you stuck in a sandstorm at the time?”

 

“Smart vision.  It was unmistakable.”

 

Auzenne pursed her lips.  “Okay.  What reason would he have to shoot you, then?”

 

“He thinks I’m a-“  Wait, no, he couldn’t give Alex and himself away like that.  “He thinks I’m a liability.  Some _thing_ that can kill him and all of his men at the press of a button.”

 

“Does he know you escaped the incident without being compromised?”

 

“…No.  Doesn’t explain why you’d know that, though.”

 

“The file we have on you is _very_ thorough, agent.  Please, stay on track.  Miller’s informed me that you’re not the only paranoid one out of the pair - Agent Macready thinks you’re the hollow child Chang detected.”

 

He struggled to look surprised, glad that his eyes were still hidden behind his shades.  All he could do was raise his eyebrows incredulously and tip forwards in his seat, hands pressed tightly (but not _too_ tightly) into the armrests.  “What?!”

 

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to let him know he’s sorely mistaken.  We’ve already found the offending target.”

 

…What?  They had?  “Then why am I still here?”

 

“To keep up appearances.  We’re trying to make disposal as discreet as possible so that none of its friends go through undue stress.  Just make sure not to get caught alone with Macready until Miller puts out the notice, he’s a little… unstable.”

 

“Yeah, no shit.  Thanks for the waste of time, doctor.”  Adam began to stand, feeling his lower-body augs protest until he was stopped by Delara’s hand in the air.  “Wait, we still have the rest of the hour.  I told you, we’re being discreet – Miller should be taking the hollow child down into the interrogation cells as we speak.”

 

“Any chance you could tell me who it is?”

 

“One of the janitorial staff.  Put on a janitor’s outfit and no one asks any questions, right?”

 

“I guess.  So, what?  Is Miller going to shoot the thing in the head?”

 

“That’s a little…”  Auzenne winced, looking out the window.  “Intense.  We’re going to keep it around for inspection and a casual little data scrub so we make sure nothing sensitive was transferred.  Then, we’ll figure out what to do with it eventually.  There’s no protocol for this, you know.”

 

“I thought you specialized in this kind of thing.”

 

“All we did was send the hollow children out for testing.  Dealing with this kind of thing is usually up to people higher up the chain.”

 

“Really?  Higher than Interpol?  Smiley would have something to take care of it, there’s no reason to complicate this.”  At the mention of Fletcher’s nickname, Delara visibly cringed.

 

“Oh, he… I wouldn’t know.  I don’t visit him that often.”

 

As entertaining it would be to make the psychiatrist squirm, he had to admit that Smiley’s secret obsession with her was inappropriate, to say the least.  Which was odd, considering his nonstop flow of female companions.

 

“I see.  Look, I think I’ve been in here long enough.”  The clock now read 9:55 AM.  “Think you could let me go?”

 

Delara just smiled and began typing away, leaving Adam hanging for another five minutes before she gave him any indication of their progress.

 

“Sure.  It’s officially the end of your appointed time slot, and I’ve emailed Mac directly about the hollow child.  You’re all set, Adam.”

 

“You might have that file, but we’re nowhere near close enough for you to call me by my first name.  _Delara._ ”

 

All she gave him was a cryptic smile before she returned to her emails.  When Adam left, he couldn’t help but feel like he was in the middle of an elaborate prank.

* * *

**[2028 – Detroit, MI.  One month after termination.]**

_“I don’t understand how they could have found out about Adam!”_

_“They haven’t.”_

_“What makes you so sure, Frank?!”_

_“The nature of the cybersecurity division’s firewalls is specifically constructed to detect the intrusion of a hollow child into their systems, but it’s not sophisticated enough to detect anything other than the generic Tai Yong brand.  In other words, it can’t be Adam.”_

_“Holy shit, there’s another one in there?”_

_“I’ve already traced the breach.  It’s one of the janitorial staff.  Do you think this is a coincidence?  Should I be hitting the killswitch?”_

_“No!  No, not just yet.  I want a full report from this.”_

_“You know what they say about flying too close to the sun…”_

_“C’mon.  Think of the possibilities!  The market would go crazy!”_

_“At the cost of how many traumas?  You saw Megan when she came in here, she was… inconsolable.”_

_“Megan will get over it.  She’ll have to.  Rumor has it she’s already back to work at the labs.”_

_“If you say so.”_

_“Progress only comes at the cost of pain, Frank.  Remember that.”_

* * *

**[2028 -**   **Čistá Čtvrť, Praha.  Later that day – One month after termination.]**

 

“Jensen!”  Oh boy.

 

Hardly ten minutes had passed after Adam’s appointment was over before Macready popped out of his office, one foot still inside as he yelled for Adam.  “Coming,” he sighed, not bothering to lock his desktop before he left.

 

Once the two of them were in the privacy of Macready’s office, a stony silence settled.  The TVs were all turned off, and Macready was standing with his hands clasped behind him, facing the main floor of the station with his back to Adam.

 

“…Is there something-“

 

“Shut up.  Miller’s ordering us to have drinks tonight, somewhere _quiet_ so we won’t be disturbed.”

 

This was sounding like something straight out of a homicide documentary.  “What, so you can shoot me?”  Macready’s back straightened, though Adam couldn’t read him any further with his face pointed away from him.

 

“I never said somewhere _deserted_ , Jensen.  I’ll give you the address later this evening, I haven’t decided where yet.”

 

He didn’t know whether to be relieved or anxious that he’d have to endure conversation with Macready instead of fearing for his life.  Though the two things weren’t exactly mutually exclusive.

 

Nothing to do but go with the flow, then.  “Alright,” he paused in the middle of turning for the door.  “Did Miller also say you were buying?”

 

Macready let out a snort at the attempt at a joke.  “Fuck off.  See you at ten.”

* * *

**[2028 - Dávný Čtvrť, Praha.  Later that day.]**

 

" _This_ is your idea of quiet?"

 

Macready had, for some unfathomable reason, brought Adam to the red-light district for drinks.  After everything that had happened at HQ, Adam couldn't deny that downtime was probably for the best.  Though, maybe not with Macready, who almost certainly still thought he was a hollow child.

 

"Cheapest booze in Prague, right here.  If you want to go somewhere else, you'd better be paying."  Macready was staring at the front of the strip club, hands tucked deep into his pockets. With his collar covering half his face and his coat obscuring his body language, for once Adam couldn’t get a read on him or his emotions.

 

Adam just shook his head and led the way into the Red Queen without a word.

 

The dancers in the windows were unsettling enough, but the interior... the walls dripped with dark shades of velvet, with barely enough light for patrons to get their money's worth.  It wasn't as if stripping was the main attraction here, anyways.

 

"You must be pissing yourself.  Never paid for a night in Dávný, have you?"  Somewhat sneering, Macready walked up to the wet bar and held up a hand as he ordered a drink in broken Czech. 

 

Their return to an exchange of banter was jarring, but Adam found he far preferred the weirdness to having to constantly scan Macready’s vital signs to see if he was about to get homicidal.

 

With a heavy sigh, Adam took the seat next to Macready and began to order another of the same drink.  "No, because these people would think I'm looking for a job."  As if to prove his point, the bartender set a hand on Adam's exposed carbon-fiber fingers and lingered, eyeing him as if he were cattle.  " _[Just whiskey, please,]_ " Adam murmured, quickly drawing his hand away.

 

"That so?  Same reason you refuse to take off your shades?  I can't see for shit, I can't imagine how you must be doing."  Adam missed the implication he was making, mistakenly thinking Macready was calling him a tool for wearing shades indoors.  He retracted them anyways.

 

"I'm doing just fine." Avidly avoiding the bartender's gaze, Adam tore a bar napkin to shreds as he waited for his drink.  

 

There were several beats of silence, made even more unbearable by the pounding backing track that the augmented strippers danced to and the marked lack of alcohol in front of them.  Adam didn't know whether it was better or worse when Macready cleared his throat with obvious force.

 

"Look.  I'm sorry."

 

Definitely worse.

 

"...There's nothing to apologize for."  There sure as hell was, but Adam was content to let it go if it meant the awkwardness would stop.  Clearly, Macready didn't have the same idea.

 

"There really is."  Miraculously, the arrival of their drinks interrupted him, and Adam was granted a few now blissful seconds of silence as Macready downed his in one fell swig.  Much to Adam's dismay, he continued once he hiccupped for air and slammed his empty glass down.  "Hanzer or not, making that leap to accuse you of being a hollow child wasn't right."

 

As uncomfortable as this was, Adam found that he appreciated the sentiment.  "Keep talking like that and I'll get to thinking you're getting soft on me, Macready."  He took a small sip of his own drink, blatantly eyeing Macready in his peripheral vision.  The man in question glanced back, absently raising a hand to order another drink.

 

"...Also, I did try to shoot you in Dubai."

 

There went that warm feeling.

 

They continued to nurse their drinks while Adam adamantly kept his eyes off the dancers.  “You’ve been trying to get me killed for the past week, Macready.  Why should I trust you?”

 

“You followed me here, didn’t you?”

 

Fair – oh, Macready wasn’t finished.  “Also, making you clean the loo doesn’t count.”

 

“No.  But it was petty as shit.”

 

“Yeah, I’ll give you that.”  Amazingly, Macready smiled, though the expression was hidden behind his glass.

 

They finished their drinks, and Adam made to leave, pulling his coat tightly around him as he slid out of his seat.  Macready had a different idea, though.

 

“Hold on.  Night’s still young, Jensen.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Don’t stand there slack-jawed.  We’re at a _strip club_.  Never fancied a go?”

 

“A go at _what?_ ”  Adam didn’t like where this was going, not one bit.  “I don’t think I want to hear this.”

 

“Oh, come off it.  Let loose for once in your life.”  Macready had stood as well, arms crossed over his chest as he smirked deviously Adam’s way.

 

Adam couldn’t act like he’d never thought about it, but to let loose with _Macready?_

 

“I don’t think so.”

 

“Fine, fine.  I’ll buy, just – sit there while I take a look.”  Now that got Adam’s attention.

 

“What’s the catch?”  Adam raised an eyebrow, stepping closer to Macready.

 

“Nothing.  I just don’t want Miller constantly on my ass about our relationship as colleagues.  Just stay here for another hour, tops.”

 

That sounded reasonable enough.  “Lead the way, Mac.”

* * *

**[2028 - Dávný Čtvrť, Praha.  Two hours later.]**

Adam was drunk.  Piss drunk.  Drunker than he could ever recall being after the surgery.

 

“Mac, you… you don’t look like y’r havin’ fun,” he slurred, slumping over in his plush little lounge chair.  He really was concerned Macready wasn’t enjoying himself – after all, he was looking at Jensen, not the dancers.

 

“I’m beginning to see the appeal,” was all Macready said.  The agent was drunk, according to Adam’s sensors, but not nearly as drunk as he was.

 

“The appeal… the appeal of what?”

 

There was no answer.  Just more staring.

 

“’lright then,” he sighed, poking Macready in the forehead.  “If you wanna keep staring, ‘least pay me for the view.”

 

“I can do you one better,” Mac drawled, knocking back what looked to be his final shot of whiskey.  “Stay at my place.  Y’don’t look like you can…” he coughed, belatedly feeling the sting of the overproof whiskey climb back up his throat.  “Like you can get y’self home.”

 

“You’re right.  You’re right.”  Adam nodded, drunkenly pushing himself onto unsteady feet.  “C’mon, don’t attract any-“

 

_Crash._

There went their handle of whiskey.  Good thing they were making their way out – the bartender was giving the two of them a look that could kill.

 

Snickering, Adam practically bundled Macready under his arm and carried him out, the two of them swaying drunkenly out in the cold air.  “Where’s the place?  Your place?  The place?”

 

“Left, left,” Mac chuckled, pushing into Adam’s side to steer them in the right direction.

 

It took what felt like hours to get them to Macready’s apartment complex.  When they finally stumbled out of the elevator and into the flat after a few seconds of Macready struggling to input his entry code, Adam brought the two of them to the ground by going limp.

 

“Jensen!”  Macready was thrown into a fit of full-on belly laughter, pushing Adam away and causing him to slide a good foot away from him on the hardwood.  “Pull yourself together!”

 

“’m so drunk.  So drunk.”  Slowly, he pushed himself onto his elbows, watching Macready get to his feet and pull Adam up with him.  When he was upright, he stumbled forwards and threw his arms over Mac’s shoulders.  “Hello, Agent Macready.  I have an important mission for you.”  His tone was playfully serious, like he was trying to imitate Miller.  He even added a tinge of an Australian accent to it.

 

“Oh, yeah?  What would that be?”

 

“Carry me to the bed.  And that’s an order.”

 

“You overgrown baby,” Mac sighed fondly, snaking an arm around Adam’s torso and pulling him over to the bed.  Good thing there were no stairs to wrestle with.  Gently as he could, he sat himself down with Adam taking the opportunity to drape himself over Mac’s lap.

 

Eventually, Macready had pulled both of them up so that their heads were actually resting on pillows.  They faced each other, breathing shallowly as if they were well on their way to sleep.

 

Adam’s eyes were closed when he interrupted the relative silence.  “You really thought I was a hollow child, didn’t you?”

 

Macready nodded sluggishly, slapping a hand on Adam’s unforgiving metal shoulder.  “Sorry I tried to kill you so many times, mate.  I was gonna give it one last try tonight, but… this was fun.  I had fun, I _am_ having fun.”

 

“Can I tell you s’mthing?”

 

“Yeah, sure.  Anything.”

 

“You trying to kill me all the time is kinda…”

 

Nothing could have prepared Macready for how Adam finished that sentence, drunk or not.

 

“…hot.”

 

Macready blinked in surprise, pushing himself a bit off the mattress.  “What’d you just say?”  He wasn’t completely sober, but he wasn’t feeling as muddled as before – at least not because of the alcohol.  “You daft, Jensen?  I thought you were-“

 

“Straight?  Christ, Mac.  It’s 2028.  I can have sex with whoever I want.”

 

“No, no, I wasn’t… that’s not…”  And this is why he avoided personal conversations.  “So you’re gay.  Like Miller.  Ever fancied…”

 

“Once or twice.”  God, he said it so nonchalantly, like he wasn’t confessing to have fantasized about sleeping with the director (who was, mind you, more than a decade older than him).  “But m’not gay.”

 

“Bi, then?”

 

“You could say that.  Although, there’s something about the shape of a VTOL…”

 

“Aw, no,” Macready laughed.  “Now I know you’re just taking the piss.  Besides, it’s not like I’m straight, either.  It _is_ 2028, after all.”

 

“…Oh.  Good.”

 

“Yeah, good.”

 

“Good.”

 

Adam’s eyes were now fully open and searching up into Macready’s, though he remained on his side.

 

“So have you ever thought about… with me?”

 

“Maybe.”

 

“That’s not a no.”

 

“That’s a ‘no, not until tonight’.”

 

“Is it because you won’t fuck a robot?  Wouldn’t fuck a robot?”

 

“Where’s this mouth on you when you’re sober?  You have a point though.  If I still thought you weren’t human, I’d be sticking a bullet in you, not my cock.”

 

“But your cock isn’t in me.”

 

“We’re drunk as shit, Jensen.  I won’t lay a hand on you.”

 

“’s fine.  No hands, ‘s fine.”  In opposition to his words, Adam pushed Macready onto his back, sliding down his body until he was at eye-level with the zipper of his CO’s slacks.

 

“You… what on Earth do you have planned down there?”  If it was anything close to what Macready was imagining, he wasn’t putting up any complaints.

 

“No hands,” he repeated, clamping his teeth around the zipper.  Slowly, he drew the zipper down and worked the button open simultaneously with his hands.

 

“I thought you said no hands?”  Macready’s question was tinged with amusement.

 

“Not yet.  Hands now, no hands later.”

 

“Idiot.  You could have just asked.”  Macready nudged Adam’s head back for a second as he pulled himself out of the confines of his boxers.

 

Adam wasted no time in getting his mouth on the half-hard member, trying his damnedest to coax Mac to hardness despite all the whiskey they’d consumed.

 

“You might be wasting your time,” Mac sighed, though the unmistakable tension in his thighs told Adam otherwise. 

 

Adam made a noise of dissent as he pushed himself halfway down Mac’s dick, all his focus on working Mac up for a happy ending.  Mac, who was clearly not expecting Adam to move so fast, let out a few semi-pleased, semi-shocked yelps as he felt blood rush down south.

 

“Hell, Jensen.  That’ll do it.”  Standing at full hardness now, Mac pushed himself back to sit up against the headboard and give himself a better view.

 

Adam pulled back, licking his lips absently as he stared in awe of Macready’s cock.  “If you have nothing to overcompensate for, then why are you such a dick at work?”

 

“Stop whining, it’s not attractive.  Wouldn’t want all that hard work to go to waste.”  Despite his bluntness, Macready couldn’t help but flush with pleasure at the compliment.

 

“You know what’s not attractive?  Being a dick.”

 

“Shut up, you love it.  Who was it that said trying to kill you was-“  His thought was cut off by Adam swallowing Macready back down in retaliation.  Though this position had the disadvantage of not letting Adam return fire, it had the definite advantage of rendering Macready speechless and adorably desperate.

 

Did he say ‘adorably’?  Shuddering involuntarily, he made a mental note to never use that word in conjunction with Macready’s name ever again.

 

To distract himself, he cheated a bit and brought a hand behind Macready’s dick, fondling him gently before exploring further.  Once his fingertips reached his perineum-

 

“Jen-Jensen...  _Adam!_ ”  With a shout, Macready planted both hands on Adam’s head and pushed down, forcing him to take the entirety of his cock as Mac spent his release down Adam’s throat.

 

Adam was drunk enough to take it all, his lack of gag reflex fortunately allowing him to take everything Macready had to give him.  Until he was sure Mac was done, he stayed down there, petting the thighs surrounding his head encouragingly in the meantime.

 

Macready almost immediately fell asleep after Adam wiped his mouth, traces of cum contrasting starkly with his carbon-fiber augs.  It didn’t take long for Adam to follow Mac into dreamland, settling comfortably onto the mattress.

* * *

**[2028 - Dávný Čtvrť, Praha.  One month and one day after termination.]**

  
Adam was the first to wake.

 

Where was he?  He remembered drinking with Macready at the Red Queen, of all places, trying to leave, then… not much after that.

 

When his vision adjusted, he froze.  Was that… was that Mac in front of him?  Snoring lightly with-

 

Adam looked down, then immediately back up.

 

-with his dick out.

 

What the fuck did they do?  Adam set to thinking of ways to make his escape, calculating the risk of going out the window from the third floor without having his landing augmentation activated.

 

Macready woke up suddenly before Adam could make good on his plans.  With their faces two inches away from each other, they stared at each other in silence for a good few minutes before shooting up and sitting facing the wall and the window.

 

“Macready.”

 

“Jensen.”

 

“Why am I at your apartment?”

 

“I dunno.  Why… why is my knob out?”

 

“You tell me, it’s _your_ knob.”

 

A few more beats of silence passed.  He could hear Macready take in a sharp little breath as he presumably recalled what had happened last night.  Fortunately, the memories were coming back to him, too.

 

“Please tell me you remember what happened.”

 

“Did I give you a blowjob?”

 

“…Allegedly.”  Mac, having tucked himself back into his pants, slowly turned to face Adam.  “We should be at HQ in… fuck, thirty minutes.  Won’t be too much of a problem, will it?  You swallowed most of the mess, anyways.”

 

“And you fell asleep right after.”

 

They stared each other down, eyebrows drawn while frowning – until Macready broke first and smirked, pushing at Adam’s chest.

 

“Get out of here.  I don’t look kindly on agents who show up late.”

 

Adam huffed amusedly, pulling on his coat.  “Neither does Miller.  Hope you’re ready to face the music.”

 

“…Fuck.”

* * *

 **[2028 -** **Čistá** **Čtvrť, Praha.  Fifty-two minutes later.]**

 

 “I told you two to get along, not to drink the night away and show up late and hungover!”  Miller was understandably angry, but why were both Adam and Macready in his office facing his wrath?

 

Macready cleared his throat with no subtlety, waiting for Jim to let him speak.  “With all due respect, sir, I kept him later so we could keep drinking.  Also, Jensen was on time.”

 

Miller straightened in surprise, and Adam registered a positive physiological response.  “Ah.  I never thought I’d see the day where you take the fall for Jensen.  I assume your reservations are done with?”

 

“Sure, you could say that.”

 

“What could have possibly gotten you two to get along so well?”

 

Mac and Adam exchanged a brief look and began explaining themselves at the same time…

 

“-oh, you know how booze is, can’t keep grudges when you’re absolutely pissed-“

 

“-when someone pays for top-shelf whiskey, arguments just resolve themselves-“

 

…and shut themselves up at the same time.

 

Miller let out a pleased hum, a genuine smile aimed towards the two of them.  “Can’t say I understood a word of that, but I’m glad you’re no longer the biggest pain in my ass.  I have an interrogation with the hollow child in the cellar, and I’m not looking forward to it.  Dismissed.”

 

Afterwards, Mac pulled Adam into his office.

 

“So.”

 

“…So.”

 

“Tonight’s poker night at the Red Queen.  Plenty of whiskey there.”

 

Adam retracted his shades and grinned.

 

“I’ll put my drinks on your tab.”


End file.
